There are all calls for the Government to address opportunities and risks associated with AI, as Ireland is in danger of falling behind other countries.

Member of the Government’s AI Advisory Council Professor Barry O’Sullivan told The Pat Kenny Show that “countries are seeing AI very much as a kind of national security or sovereignty thing”.

“The UK and the US and China and all these countries are putting huge amounts of money into it to stay ahead, so to speak,” he said.

“Little old Ireland though, kind of relies on other bigger children to look after it on the playground.

“I suppose it is what it is to some extent; we certainly do, like a lot of other European countries, depend on the US and other countries to provide us with the technology that we use in many aspects of our lives today.

“Of course, it would be much better for everybody if they could develop the technologies that they use, [but] at the end of the day, there is a sort of magnitude of investment that is beyond most nations.”

A shortage in semiconductors is exacerbating the problem. Picture by: Andriy Popov Alamy Stock Photo

However, Prof O’Sullivan pointed out that despite these limitations, Ireland has managed to become a key player in pharma and biotechnology production.

“What we have to do here is make sure that there’s every opportunity for everybody to be educated and become literate and skilled in what AI is and what it isn’t,” he said.

“I think that universities and schools and all sorts of skills groups need to be providing training courses and opportunities where people can upskill themselves in this new technology.”

According to Prof O’Sullivan, despite AI’s advances, it has not replaced workers in any sector on a broad scale as of now.

Main image: A ChatGPT illustration. Komsan Saiipan / Alamy